Ean Karl was a social, funny, active teenager who suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. Ean kept that a secret from his family and only told a few friends. His friends, also being teenagers, did not know what to do with that information and wanted to keep Ean's trust, so they talked with him and tried to convince him not to commit suicide. Ean died on May 1, 2015. Shortly thereafter, BE! was born out of the family's need to make sense of this tragedy.

Teressa Karl, Ron Karl, and Samantha Berry (Ean's Mother, Brother, and future sister-in-law) were astounded to discover that not only did Ean plan to take his own life, but that he told a few friends what he planned to do. They also discovered that 80% of young people who commit suicide also tell others, but that young people are simply not educated on what to do if their friend states they are suicidal. They formed BE! to help educate young people about depression, give young people the tools they need to save lives, and provide a way to do so annonymously.

80% of suicide victims tell someone what they are planning!

Information Cards

These cards quickly outline our program, please feel free to print them off to share! Some South Dakota schools may have seen these dispursed by the National Guard recruiter for your school.